A Letter from the Bishop

Greetings, grace and peace in the strong name of Jesus Christ.

It was my honor and joy to preside over my final Annual Conference session with you last week. We heard reports of transformational ministry, received updates from our delegation to the recent General Conference, honored eighteen pastors who retired from active ministry and sent eight new pastors (four commissioned and four ordained) into the world, which is our parish. We unveiled a teaching and worship resource for celebrating the 240th anniversary of Methodism in America and many of you participated in a Day of Learning about communities impacting poverty.

At the same time, I understand that some members of the Conference felt confusion and uncertainty based on the motion and vote to adjourn without a final vote on the resolutions that had been debated on Saturday. I would like to address a few concerns which have been raised since then.

Robert’s Rules of Order classifies a motion to adjourn a privileged motion that supersedes ordinary business. A member of the conference can make a privileged motion while other business is pending. That is what happened during our meeting, and it is in order. Based on the rules, such a motion is not debatable or amendable, which is why speeches on that motion were not allowed.

The two resolutions which had been calendared for action were both aspirational resolutions. This means they express an opinion which would have become the opinion of the conference should they have been approved. These two resolutions did not in any way impact the recent decisions of General Conference.

We have been in touch with The Board of Church and Society and they are going to continue to work on the two resolutions, meet with others in the conference, create educational materials and will move them through the process for presentation at next year’s conference session.

Let me remind you that the actions of the recent General Conference empower our churches and our clergy to follow their conscience as it relates to weddings in their contextual ministry settings. We are bound by the decisions of the General Conference.

I appreciate all the ways you all honored me for my time among you, but I want to say one more time what a privilege it has been to serve the Oklahoma Area of the United Methodist Church. As Paul said to Philippians, “I thank my God for every remembrance of you, always in every one of my prayers for all of you, praying with joy for your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.”

Faithfully yours,

James G. Nunn